Muhammad Ali Mungeri

Muḥammad Ali Mungeri (28 July 1846 – 13 September 1927) was an Indian Muslim scholar who was the founder Nadwatul Ulama and first chancellor of its Darul Uloom, a major Islamic seminary in Lucknow. He extensively wrote against Christianity and Ahmadiyya. His books include Ā'īna-e-Islām, Sāti' al-Burhān, Barāhīn-e-Qāti'ah, Faisla Āsmāni and Shahādat-e-Āsmāni.

Muḥammad Ali was a student of Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri and an authorized disciple of Fazl Raḥmān Ganj Murādābādi. He resigned from the Nadwatul Ulama in 1903 and shifted to Munger where he established the Khānqah Raḥmāniya. His son Minnatullah Rahmani was among the founders of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and his grandson Wali Rahmani established the institution of Rahmani30.

Early life and education

Muḥammad Ali Mungeri was born on 28 July 1846 in

Muḥammad Ali started to teach in Dulāri Masjid in Kanpur. Impressed by his teaching method, he was invited by the rector of Madrasa Faiz-e-Aam to teach there. Muḥammad Ali taught there for few months and fell ill and discontinued teaching.[8] Earlier he had taught at this madrasa for about two years before travelling to Saharanpur, where he studied with Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri.^[8]

In 1893, during the annual congregation of the Madrasa Faiz-e-Aam, a group of scholars unanimously decided that a permanent council of scholars be formed and its meeting be followed in the next year.

In 1901, Muḥammad Ali established the Khanqah Rahmāniya in Munger.[12]^[16] He gave religious and spiritual discourses there. His murids (pupils) in Sufism count about four lakh.^[17] He wrote a short treatise on Sufism, entitled Irshād-e-Raḥmāni.^[18]

Muḥammad Ali started a newspaper Manshūr-e-Muḥammadi in 1289 AH to curb the spread of Christianity among Indian Muslims. The literature of Christian missionaries Munshi Safdar Ali and Imāduddīn was getting quite famous in that time. Through Manshūr-e-Muḥammadi, Muḥammad Ali wrote in defense of Islam and invited Christian missionaries to debate, who did not reply, and it helped the Muslims with weak faith, to stay upon the religion of Islam.^[19] The newspaper stopped after five years as Muḥammad Ali had gone to complete his hadith studies with Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri.^[19] Muḥammad Ali also established the Islamic Orphanage Center in Kanpur to help poor Muslim kids so that they do not fell to Christianity. The center taught the Muslims kids, the skills of craftsmanship, besides education.^[20]

Literary works

On Christianity

Muḥammad Ali authored Mirat al-Yaqīn criticising Christianity. In this book, he defended Rahmatullah Kairanawi's Ae'jāz-e-Īswi, which Imāduddīn had tried to criticize through Hidāyat al-Muslimīn. In Mirat al-Yaqīn, Muḥammad Ali proved that the Christian scholars accept that the Bible has been distorted, and whatever Kairanwi had written was right.^[21]

In 1297 AH, Muḥammad Ali wrote Ā'īna-e-Islām as a response to Safdar Ali's Nayā Zamāna. He wrote Tarāna-e-Hijāzi in 1295 AH and Daf'a at-Talbisāt in 1302 AH. He later wrote Sāti' al-Burhān and Barāhīn-e-Qāti'ah.^[22] He also authored Paighām-e-Muḥammadi, as a response to Safdar Ali's Nayā Zamāna and Adm Zarūrat-e-Qur'ān of Thakur Das. The book is spread over two volumes and is considered Muḥammad Ali's major work.^[22]

On Ahmadiyya

Muḥammad Ali was among the prominent Muslim scholars who debated with the

Muḥammad Ali died on 13 September 1927.[12] His son Minnatullah Rahmani was among the founding figures of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.^[26] His grandson Wali Rahmani founded the Rahmani30 institute.^[27]

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

• Khan, Ghazanfar Ali (2015). Nadvat al-Ulama: a centre of Islamic Learning (Thesis).
  hdl:10603/49833
  .